Matt Gontarchick
@mattgontarchick.bsky.social
DC resident, Terp, PA native (like every other person in DC), comedy nerd and Sriracha enthusiast. My opinions are my own.
Reposted by Matt Gontarchick
Glad to see Trump is taking care of the important things, like renaming a mountain, trying to annex Canada, and attempting to buy Greenland.
I was worried he would focus on trivial matters like grocery prices, Ukraine, and Israel and Iran.
I was worried he would focus on trivial matters like grocery prices, Ukraine, and Israel and Iran.
December 24, 2024 at 3:56 PM
Glad to see Trump is taking care of the important things, like renaming a mountain, trying to annex Canada, and attempting to buy Greenland.
I was worried he would focus on trivial matters like grocery prices, Ukraine, and Israel and Iran.
I was worried he would focus on trivial matters like grocery prices, Ukraine, and Israel and Iran.
“These empty-nest households are concentrated in more affordable markets, where housing is already more accessible — not in the expensive coastal job centers where young workers are moving and where more homes are most desperately needed,”
www.cnbc.com/2024/12/24/z...
www.cnbc.com/2024/12/24/z...
As older Americans downsize, over 20 million homes could become available—but they're not where young people want to move
"Empty nesters" downsizing isn't likely to be the solution to the housing shortages facing major U.S. cities, recent Zillow research finds.
www.cnbc.com
December 25, 2024 at 3:33 AM
“These empty-nest households are concentrated in more affordable markets, where housing is already more accessible — not in the expensive coastal job centers where young workers are moving and where more homes are most desperately needed,”
www.cnbc.com/2024/12/24/z...
www.cnbc.com/2024/12/24/z...
Reposted by Matt Gontarchick
having these populations segregated is bad though - we should encourage more families to live downtown by encouraging 3+BR homes in dense neighborhoods and provide more studios and 1BRs in the burbs.
Single adults living alone are the fastest growing type of household and ~75% of most cities’ residential land is reserved for single family homes built for nuclear families.
We should not be surprised to find that most new homes are 1 and 2-bedroom apartments for single people and couples!
We should not be surprised to find that most new homes are 1 and 2-bedroom apartments for single people and couples!
Everyone is getting worked up about this but I can't find any evidence that this building differs from any other new construction?
You don't have to be childless to live there, they're just marketing it to young couples and singles.
www.bkmag.com/2024/12/05/b...
You don't have to be childless to live there, they're just marketing it to young couples and singles.
www.bkmag.com/2024/12/05/b...
December 9, 2024 at 4:17 PM
having these populations segregated is bad though - we should encourage more families to live downtown by encouraging 3+BR homes in dense neighborhoods and provide more studios and 1BRs in the burbs.
Reposted by Matt Gontarchick
New Zealand took on its housing crisis at the federal level, challenging the idea that “housing politics is local.” For "Good on Paper," Jerusalem Demsas speaks with the housing-policy expert Eleanor West about what New Zealand and America have in common.
An American-Style Housing Crisis in New Zealand
What the United States can learn from the Pacific nation
www.theatlantic.com
December 10, 2024 at 3:03 PM
New Zealand took on its housing crisis at the federal level, challenging the idea that “housing politics is local.” For "Good on Paper," Jerusalem Demsas speaks with the housing-policy expert Eleanor West about what New Zealand and America have in common.
Reposted by Matt Gontarchick
Reposted by Matt Gontarchick
If the old guys are going tieless, then it’s time for the cool kids to do the opposite
The Necktie Is Making an Office Comeback
A new generation is tweaking the power tie by making it rebellious or feminine.
on.wsj.com
December 6, 2024 at 6:04 PM
If the old guys are going tieless, then it’s time for the cool kids to do the opposite
Reposted by Matt Gontarchick
Since NIMBY judges are playing Calvinball with the law & inventing pseudo-legal reasons to block pro-housing policy, it's good to see local leaders fight back against their garbage decisions.
Arlington County Board votes to appeal judge's decision to limit multi-family housing
The Arlington County Board voted to allow a missing middle zoning plan, which would essentially expand multifamily housing into designated single-family areas.
www.wusa9.com
December 5, 2024 at 7:50 PM
Since NIMBY judges are playing Calvinball with the law & inventing pseudo-legal reasons to block pro-housing policy, it's good to see local leaders fight back against their garbage decisions.
Reposted by Matt Gontarchick
This is the direct result of our current land use paradigm, which inhibits new infill housing growth in existing cities & suburbs, instead shunting sprawl development into areas with climate hazards (wildfires, floods, etc.).
Solving the insurance crisis will require ending exclusionary zoning.
Solving the insurance crisis will require ending exclusionary zoning.
Home insurance in areas hit by repetitive disasters is going to be the number one housing affordability issue over the next 4 years. And possibly going into the midterms.
More so than interest rates. Florida in particular is going to have huge problems.
More so than interest rates. Florida in particular is going to have huge problems.
Here in Florida we have a housing crisis of our own - developers are building affordable homes all around, but many are sitting empty because people can't afford the necessary home insurance.
December 2, 2024 at 4:53 AM
This is the direct result of our current land use paradigm, which inhibits new infill housing growth in existing cities & suburbs, instead shunting sprawl development into areas with climate hazards (wildfires, floods, etc.).
Solving the insurance crisis will require ending exclusionary zoning.
Solving the insurance crisis will require ending exclusionary zoning.
Reposted by Matt Gontarchick
yes this is an aggressive subtweet but if you think "we need to fix the housing crisis by decentralizing jobs out of cities" you are making a stupid ask because it not only requires MORE federal redistribution to rurals but also getting city govs to unilaterally sabotage their economies
December 2, 2024 at 2:07 AM
yes this is an aggressive subtweet but if you think "we need to fix the housing crisis by decentralizing jobs out of cities" you are making a stupid ask because it not only requires MORE federal redistribution to rurals but also getting city govs to unilaterally sabotage their economies
Reposted by Matt Gontarchick
Friendly reminder that, while far from a panacea for our housing needs, if you live in a high cost area like me, those new “luxury apartments” you’re opposing because they aren’t “truly affordable” are probably cheaper to live in than your house would be to buy now.
ggwash.org/view/93183/w...
ggwash.org/view/93183/w...
December 1, 2024 at 1:50 PM
Friendly reminder that, while far from a panacea for our housing needs, if you live in a high cost area like me, those new “luxury apartments” you’re opposing because they aren’t “truly affordable” are probably cheaper to live in than your house would be to buy now.
ggwash.org/view/93183/w...
ggwash.org/view/93183/w...
Reposted by Matt Gontarchick
If we want to understand why we're losing moderate income folks, why young ppl move elsewhere, why elementary school enrollment rates are down - look no further than our housing stock, where the avg SFH size has exploded and the avg price for ALL residential is damn near $900k
November 20, 2024 at 7:22 PM
If we want to understand why we're losing moderate income folks, why young ppl move elsewhere, why elementary school enrollment rates are down - look no further than our housing stock, where the avg SFH size has exploded and the avg price for ALL residential is damn near $900k
On Tuesday, I traveled from Washington, DC to the suburbs of Reading, PA to spend Thanksgiving for a few days.
The impact of going from a walkable urban area to a car dependent suburb on physical activity is very real. Let’s just say that I’m thankful for elliptical machines!
The impact of going from a walkable urban area to a car dependent suburb on physical activity is very real. Let’s just say that I’m thankful for elliptical machines!
November 28, 2024 at 6:28 PM
On Tuesday, I traveled from Washington, DC to the suburbs of Reading, PA to spend Thanksgiving for a few days.
The impact of going from a walkable urban area to a car dependent suburb on physical activity is very real. Let’s just say that I’m thankful for elliptical machines!
The impact of going from a walkable urban area to a car dependent suburb on physical activity is very real. Let’s just say that I’m thankful for elliptical machines!
Reposted by Matt Gontarchick
Finally, I can understand why opponents of Missing Middle in Arlington are so upset.
One home turns into two homes in Nashville. (20152➡️2019)
November 28, 2024 at 2:16 PM
Finally, I can understand why opponents of Missing Middle in Arlington are so upset.
Reposted by Matt Gontarchick
Thank all that is holy for Bluesky 🦋
November 24, 2024 at 1:04 AM
Thank all that is holy for Bluesky 🦋
Dune: Prophecy doesn’t feel like an HBO show…it feels like a SyFy show with an HBO budget. The vibes are much closer to The Expanse and the Battlestar Galactica reboot. #dune
November 25, 2024 at 2:58 AM
Dune: Prophecy doesn’t feel like an HBO show…it feels like a SyFy show with an HBO budget. The vibes are much closer to The Expanse and the Battlestar Galactica reboot. #dune
Reposted by Matt Gontarchick
Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) is proposing new housing legislation. “The Prefabricated Housing and Zoning Enhancement Act of 2024 (PHAZE Act), which would tackle housing shortages across the United States by reforming zoning and encouraging new building efforts.” adamsmith.house.gov/news/press-r...
Representative Smith Introduces Landmark Legislation to Tackle Housing Affordability, Increase Construction of New Homes
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.) introduced the The Prefabricated Housing and Zoning Enhancement Act of 2024 (PHAZE Act), which would tackle housing shortages across the Un...
adamsmith.house.gov
November 25, 2024 at 12:15 AM
Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) is proposing new housing legislation. “The Prefabricated Housing and Zoning Enhancement Act of 2024 (PHAZE Act), which would tackle housing shortages across the United States by reforming zoning and encouraging new building efforts.” adamsmith.house.gov/news/press-r...